KEEP GOINGSample

For the Weary

When addressing physical exhaustion, the solution is relatively straightforward: a comfortable bed, a period of inactivity, and adequate rest allow our strength to return, so we may resume our duties.

However, there exists another form of weariness that is not as easily remedied as the physical. I refer to the emotional exhaustion that an individual may experience for various reasons. The emotional burden of a trial, illness within the family, concern for one's children, or financial difficulties, all these and more produce a fatigue that causes the hands to fall and breeds hopelessness and discouragement.

This emotional weariness occasionally leads a person to feel as though they no longer possess the strength to continue the struggle. For those who do not know Jesus, this emotional exhaustion is compounded by a lack of faith; the result is a life devoid of hope, as they attempt to carry a burden that their soul can scarcely endure.

For those of us who are in Christ, by His grace and mercy, the situation is entirely different. This does not change the fact that we pass through circumstances that produce a great emotional weight; we are not exempt. Jesus Himself declared: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world,” John 16:33 NIV.

The difference lies in the fact that we have Him. We possess promises in which we can believe because He is faithful and fulfills what He pledges. We can pray and trust that, amidst our circumstances, we may be fortified and receive renewed strength. God has assured us that His peace, which transcends all understanding, can fill us. With that peace within us, our difficulties can be transformed into a divine miracle on our behalf.